The boom is about to go bust (Australia)Asset bubbles in shares and property could burst in the next six to 18 months, according to one of the country's more bearish investment experts, who is warning baby boomers that their retirement savings are at risk.

The annual Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference kicked off in Toronto on Sunday. Not surprisingly, the mood on the conference floor was a little subdued as metal prices continue to slump, financing dollars remain scarce, and the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index trades near an all-time low.

Saudi Eastern Fleet Request AdvancesA second letter of request (LoR) from the Saudi government detailing requirements for the Eastern Fleet replacement program was delivered to the US Navy in February, barely a month after an initial request was sent, according to sources here at the International Defence Exposition show.

Playing Chicken with Nuclear WarU.S.-Russian tensions keep escalating – now surrounding the murder of Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov – yet almost no one on the American side seems to worry about the possibility that the tough-guy rhetoric and proxy war in Ukraine might risk a nuclear conflagration.

Bulgaria's parliament scrapped preferential prices for new renewable energy installations on Thursday as the country is struggling to cut deficits in the energy sector and keep a lid on consumers' utility bills.

Eclipse of the Sun has European solar power producers worriedHundreds of millions of Europeans will experience a solar eclipse ranging from 40% to 97% obscuration on March 20th. Iceland will have a total blackout. The solar power industry is very concerned about how it will manage when an estimated 35,000 MW of electricity vanishes from the system, then comes surging back two hours later.

US Will Never Gain Oil Market Crown Says IEA HeadNo matter how much oil the United States produces over the next few years, it will never become the next Saudi Arabia in the global oil market, according to Fatih Birol, the new executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA). What's especially interesting about this forecast is that it directly contradicts what Birol said only three months ago, and he gave no explanation for his change of mind.

Crop herbicides play a role in shrinking monarch populationA butterfly being considered for federal protection is emblematic of the plight that pollinating insects face in part because farmers, enticed by ethanol mandates, are growing more herbicide-resistant crops, which has stripped millions of acres of crucial plant habitat.

The Rise of a 'Democratic' FascismTraditional fascism is defined as a right-wing political system run by a dictator who prohibits dissent and relies on repression. But some analysts believe a new form of fascism has arisen that has a democratic façade and is based on relentless propaganda and endless war.

Neocons Want 'Regime Change' in IranA curious trait of America's neocons is that they never change course or learn from past mistakes. They simply press on for more and more "regime change," explaining their determination to sink the Iranian nuclear talks to reopen the pathway to more war.

## UK ##UK blocks Russian oligarchs' deal to buy North Sea fieldsBritain has blocked a deal by Russian billionaires, Mikhail Fridman and German Khan, to buy 12 oil and gas fields in the North Sea as part of their acquisition of Germany's oil firm DEA from RWE, citing possible sanctions against Russia.

Odierno Raises Alarm Over UK Spending LevelsUS Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno has added his voice to the chorus of senior politicians and military figures on both sides of the Atlantic voicing concerns over the potential impact of further defense cuts to Britain's armed forces.

Three days ago, former U.S. diplomat William R. Polk, who served President John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, warned that the West was risking a similar crisis in reverse by pressing NATO forces aggressively onto Russia's borders. He has now added this postscript about the need for wise leaders.

I mean it just doesn't get much more pathetic than this. Jeb Bush has such little genuine support, he was forced to bus in supporters from ground zero of American cronyism, K Street in Washington D.C., in order to ensure phony applause at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Commission reported that the number of fatal accidents in which law enforcement officers listed "road rage" as a contributing factor has increased tenfold since 2004.

## China ##China and the Dragon Tail of MarxThe dragon tail of Marx's end-game of overcapacity and finance capital is about to shred China's fantasy that the state can micro-manage both capitalism and financialization with no contradictions or consequences.

China farming boom has left ecosystems in danger of total collapseChina's push for more intense farming has kept its city dwellers well-fed and helped lift millions of rural workers out of poverty. But it has come at a cost. Ecosystems in what should be one of the country's most fertile region have already been badly damaged – some beyond repair – and the consequences will be felt across the world.

## Airline Death Spiral ##Southwest Grounds 128 Jets Over Missed InspectionsSouthwest Airlines on Tuesday announced it grounded 128 jets after it failed to inspect hydraulic systems designed to serve as a back-up in case of trouble with the aircraft's rudder system.

SAA mulls ways to cut extra kilogrammes on flightsUSED blankets, magazines and left-over food are some of the items South African Airways (SAA) is considering leaving behind in return long-distance flights to make an aircraft lighter and save on fuel costs.

Saudis Said to Aid Israeli Plan to Bomb IranAs the Obama administration is rushing to complete a nuclear agreement with Iran and reduce regional tensions, the Israeli media is reporting on a deal with Saudi Arabia to let Israeli warplanes transit Saudi airspace en route to bombing Iran.

China submarines outnumber U.S. fleet: U.S. admiralChina is building some "fairly amazing submarines" and now has more diesel- and nuclear-powered vessels than the United States, a top U.S. Navy admiral told U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday, although he said their quality was inferior.

Maersk Positions Self for 'New Oil Reality' as Profit FallDenmark-based Maersk Drilling is positioning itself for a "new oil reality" of reduced tendering activity for offshore rigs and lower dayrates across all rig market segments by introducing cost-cutting and efficiency enhancement programs to boost its competitiveness in the current market.

Study links common food additives to Crohn's disease, colitisCommon additives in ice cream, margarine, packaged bread and many processed foods may promote the inflammatory bowel diseases ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease as well as a group of obesity-related conditions, scientists said on Wednesday.

A report released Wednesday by the British nonprofit Environmental Justice Foundation says Thai fishing boats are now catching about 85 percent less than what they brought in 50 years ago, making it one of the most overfished regions on the planet.

## Intelligence/security/internet/cyberwar ##Anthem Hack: Millions of Non-Anthem Customers Could Be VictimsHealth insurer Anthem said Tuesday that the recent major cyberattack on its systems may have affected 8.8 million to 18.8 million non-Anthem customers -- people who are or were insured by other Blue Cross Blue Shield providers.

Americans Catching a New War FeverThe U.S. media/political elites are again riling up the American people about threats abroad, whether it's the hysterical reporting about Russia or the sensationalistic coverage of Islamic State atrocities. The results are showing with more Americans favoring more war.

Planting False Evidence on IranPrior to the U.S. intelligence community's 2007 assessment that Iran was not working on a nuclear weapons program, there was a scramble among U.S. and Israeli officials to show that it was. The CIA's Operation Merlin also revealed that U.S. officials were not above planting false evidence.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, 7.1 million people were added to the national population in the past year. The data takes into account the total number born, 16.87 million, and offsets it with the dead, 9.77 million.China drops leading technology brands for state purchases

Ukraine War: A Reverse Cuban Missile CrisisGuided by an aggressive neocon "regime change" strategy, the United States has stumbled into a potential military confrontation with Russia over Ukraine, a dangerous predicament that could become a Cuban Missile Crisis in reverse.

US Shale Oil's Crash Diet Likely To Bring Forward Output DipShale oil producers are throttling back so quickly on drilling that U.S. crude output could fall sooner than expected, within months, executives say as they slash costs to cope with tumbling crude prices and compete with Persian Gulf rivals.

## Got food? ##Rent walkouts point to strains in U.S. farm economyAcross the U.S. Midwest, the plunge in grain prices to near four-year lows is pitting landowners determined to sustain rental incomes against farmer tenants worried about making rent payments because their revenues are squeezed.

Yahoo executive and NSA chief clash over online data privacyA Yahoo executive clashed with the new head of the National Security Agency at a conference on Monday as tensions continued to simmer between the Obama administration and Silicon Valley over the privacy of online data and new security technologies.

Everyone's talking about "peak steel". Zhang Guangning, chairman of the China Iron & Steel Association, (CISA) started it, when he told the Association's annual conference in January that "China's steel sector has already entered a period of peaking and flattening out."

If investment broker Peter Schiff was president, no one would go hungry and the "mentally retarded" would work all of society's worst jobs for $2 an hour. The multi-millionaire made the assertion in an interview with Samantha Bee from Jon Stewart's "Daily Show," during which he also argued that raising the minimum wage will have catastrophic consequences and that federal assistance programs are destroying the U.S. economy.